


7 Weeks in Heaven

by rosieandblue



Category: Naruto
Genre: 7 weeks in heaven, Beautiful, Canon, Death, Drama, End of the World, F/M, Family Drama, Fantasy, Fantasy World, Forgiveness, Happy Ending, Heaven, Itachi meets Sakura, Lost and Found, Magic, Meets his family, Nature, New World, Real Life, Rescue, Romance, Sakura meets Sasuke's family, Spirits, Spiritual, Trouble, Uchiha, Uchiha Itachi Being a Good Brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28364964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosieandblue/pseuds/rosieandblue
Summary: A dream ignites a new purpose for Haruno, Sakura when she discovers she may be able to reunite Sasuke with his family. After meeting up with Sasuke worlds away, she is able to take him and transcend into a spiritual realm with the help of a magic stone and a distant location. This ability, however, has its consequences.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 13
Kudos: 53





	1. Discovery

_“Are you sure this is what you want? We’ve climbed mountains, hidden under waves of frozen water, slugged through marshland just to make it here, but Sasuke, is this really what you want?”_

_He peered straight ahead into jade green pools. An uncomfortable silence greeted them, except for the distant dripping of water into a serene pool metres away._

_“Yes. I’m ready.”_

_Sakura nodded and crossed her legs as she made herself comfortable waist deep in the warm pool across from Sasuke._

_She steadied herself and pulled her breath deep from her stomach._

_“Alright then,” she said, “take my hand and close your eyes...”_

* * *

_It all started after I had this dream of you. You were smiling in the vision. You were so happy. The beam of pure light captivated you. You were going home to them. Your family._

When she awoke that morning, the warm Konoha sun was just starting to peek over the village-scape horizon. The leaves seemed to dance in a breeze that welcomed autumn. For a moment, she let the wind graze over the skin of her thighs before she pulled her blanket over to bask in the warmth.

White cottony clouds drifted above. The sun, barely cracking, ignited the edges of the clouds embroidering them in gold. Today was already different than yesterday. 

She rubbed her eyes, propping herself on an elbow. Misty green eyes blinked away sleep.

There was a renewed sense of purpose. A feeling she hadn’t felt since Sasuke had left the village years ago. 

She rolled over in bed looking at the ceiling as her mind tried to piece together the dream she had just had. It was fleeting now, but the sensation remained, weighing heavy as a stone.

Sakura got dressed to continue her studies at the hospital library. She had made herself a nook in the far back corner, undisturbed, a single green lamp ignited by a gold chain. Most nights she’d spend alone, long after the Librarian had called it a night. She was granted special permission being an apprentice of Tsunade, as well as contributing to the medical field through research and testing.

Sakura loved the library. It was her place. Well, for the time being. Life in Konoha was just a tad bit short of exciting. Perhaps, after the all events of the latest Shinobi war, everyone was just starting to sink back to old ways, albeit nursing long term, post-war wounds. 

Sasuke was free as per Kakashi. 

They had said good-byes at the gates almost two years ago. 

But everyday, lately, she has felt closer to him more than ever.

And to top the cake, this dream she had last night, proceeded to nip at her all morning.

When she arrived at her nook that morning, a mug of steaming coffee in one hand, a large book in the other, she not-so gracefully tripped over a rolled corner of the carpet sending both the coffee and the book flying through the air onto the already stained and musty carpet. Sakura swore briefly before falling to her knees to quickly tend to damage control duties. 

However, a corner-soaked page alerted her that a message was imminent. Green eyes scanned through lines of text like flashes.

_...For whoever accepts this stone and it’s responsibility…_

_...And enter the realm of the dead temporarily in the form of one single wish…_

_...Existing as one single pathway…_

_...This forever is existing amidst the living. It’s perceived as if the dead is risen for seven weeks..._

_...For this, the light of the full moon as an energizer, the stone as an anchor for the souls who dare to enter…_

_…Submerged in a pool that ripples around the messengers…_

_...their souls enter the realm of souls…_

Flashbacks of Sasuke’s face illuminated in the light. It had been minutes before Sakura realized she was still on the carpet. Her knees buckled beneath her weight. Hands pushed against the floor as if she were to collapse any minute.

It was an opportunity. Maybe one of a lifetime.

Sakura pulled herself up but before deciding to settle into her chair, she grabbed her belongings and spun on her heel to leave.

The shock of it rippled through her. She _had_ heard stories of this before. A stone to help transport the living to be among the souls of the dead. It was a rare variation of the amethyst stone only found in the mountains far far away. But few who attempted were unsuccessful, if she recalled. 

Sakura skidded to a stop in front of the mineral store. She thought she had seen something like that here. The old shopper was barely awake. He nodded gently in Sakura’s direction. Within each display case, beautiful gemstones and jewels continued to shine even in the dark shop.

Amethyst was labeled beneath a display of purple quartz. Sakura rolled a gemstone between her thumb and forefinger deflated by the lack of power she presumed it had.

“That book there… It’s been ages.”

Sakura whipped around to the shopkeeper. He seemed to emerge from the shadows in silence.

“...and guessing by the amethyst quartz in your hand, you’re either looking for protection against intoxication… or, visiting the dead.”

Green eyes opened wide.

“How did you know? About visiting the dead part?”

“I have a way with things like these,” He gestured to his shop’s surroundings, “And I am the author of that book, after all.”

“T-this? That’s crazy!”

“Not as _crazy_ as the journey you're about to embark on.” He paused for a moment as if considering playing a risky move in a card game, "...Are you sure?”

She knew exactly what she needed to do. It was as if she was called to duty.

“I’m sure.”

* * *

In the distant mountains, fields away, Sasuke stood perched above, looking over the valley, his falcon had days ago returned to him. Sakura was on her way with an important message. 

She had explained it briefly to him in a letter, but he still had so many questions--the most being: Would it actually work?

Then as if on cue, a spot of pink flew over a mountain peak. He watched as her hurried strides came to meet him. He dropped from the tree and landed expertly on the ground. The howling winds echoed in his ears. It had been years.

He could still see her gliding through the shrubbery, entering the forest where he stood. 

And then, as clear as day, her face emerged like a light of warmth. She flew to him, arms open wide, capturing him in a brief embrace.

“Sakura…”


	2. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some familiar and unfamiliar faces.

He knew she loved him. He was no longer oblivious to the occurrence. Since leaving home two years ago, he grew well aware of the wonders and feelings the world--no, this existence--had to offer. It was harder for him to accept that in his younger past he almost threw it all away. He had tried to kill her and Kakashi, and challenged Naruto to the fight of a lifetime, but all together he made it back to the other side.

They had been travelling together for two weeks now. Sakura’s itch for adventure intensified when her green eyes laid on the peak of the mountain. An outstretched finger signaled the goal was imminent. 

Sasuke nodded back to her. They flew, soaring together, through hard winds and pin-prick rains.

When they came into contact with stone, Sakura threw her fist, igniting a burst of rock creating a hole in the wall. They lit their torches.

The moon was coming. 

Their shadows stretched against the rocky walls. Sasuke bit his lip as the journey came to its climax. Sakura dressed accordingly in a wine red cape with a hood pooled around her neck and over her slender shoulders. However, he could still see the white of her skin at her midriff. He, himself, sported a navy blue cape that trailed behind him simultaneously covering the sword at his hip.

“I could feel it,” Sakura said, clutching the stone. She would act as the anchor of this world for the next. The stone pulsated in her fist before she tucked it back at her hip hiding it by the leather of her pouch.

“We must be close then.” Sasuke eased himself through an opening in the wall and offered his hand for her to catch. Leading them through the rocky maze, their combined abilities eventually led them to the top of the mountain. 

There appeared to be an opening at the peak. The moon aligned itself over a pool of pink tinged water. The air was surprisingly warm and sweet. It was dark still. The moonlight trickled in enough for them to see the ripples of stalagmite and glittering quartz embedded in the walls.

Sakura held out her palm with the stone in the center. She thanked the shopkeeper in her thoughts. His generosity sent them here.

Despite her reservations, Sakura was quick to anchor herself into the pool of water. Sasuke stood by the pool, the expression on his face was inscrutable.

The lights danced around illuminating Sakura's features. Her eyes seemed to glow a different green tonight.

"Sasuke?" 

He released the cape from his neck and it pooled to his feet.

"I'm coming,” he said.

"It's okay if you're having second thoughts. The risks are high, but if we get it right, we might have a chance at reuniting you with your family."

The notion that his soul would be projected over and across time and space--over thought and dimensions, wasn't as big of a stretch as he had once presumed. He took accountability for the places he's been with the help of his _Rinnegan._ But this tinged differently. First of all Sakura was here, and second, they were about to embark on a journey of their lifetimes. 

If what Sakura said was correct, he would be able to see his family again, albeit within the realms of the spirits. There are rules. Sakura would do her best to abide by them, otherwise they could be lost drifting forever...

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” Sakura lifted her chin to look at him squarely. There was an inkling of hesitation but Sakura pushed through. 

“Are you sure this is what you want? We’ve climbed mountains, hidden under waves of frozen water, slugged through marshland just to make it here, but Sasuke, is this _really_ what you want?”

He peered straight ahead into jade green pools. An uncomfortable silence greeted them, except for the distant dripping of water into a serene pool metres away.

“Yes. I’m ready.”

Sakura nodded and crossed her legs as she made herself comfortable waist deep in the warm pool across from Sasuke.

She steadied herself and pulled her breath deep from her stomach.

“Alright then,” she said, “take my hand and close your eyes...”

* * *

She was sure she had done exactly as the shopkeeper had told her but she hardly felt anything at all. Maybe it was supposed to take a few minutes for something to happen. 

Sakura shifted uncomfortably as the seconds turned to minutes and those minutes eventually felt like one hour, then two…

As instructed, Sakura was to keep her eyes shut until she felt a breeze at the top of her head. It was supposed to signify her crown chakra awakening. Instead, it felt as if her whole body was submerged under water except for her face. She remained to breathe as rhythmically as she could, trying to refocus her energy on the task at hand: Get Sasuke back to his family.

He hadn’t made a sound. In fact, it was awfully quiet. 

Frustrated by the lackluster result, Sakura’s eyes fluttered open. At first a bright light blinded her, then she realized all she could see was purple.

Light purple. Clouds, a sun. _The sky?_

Her head bobbed in water. Perhaps she had fallen asleep in the pool and the sun had replaced the moon the next morning.

That proved to be false when she felt the water pulling her in one direction. She gently rose to find herself right in the middle of a babbling brook surrounded by lush green bushes.

“Sasuke?” 

She looked around and he was nowhere in sight. 

Sakura was no longer at the peak of a mountain.

* * *

Despite his best wishes to stay tuned to the vibrations, it seemed that Sasuke had fallen into a nap himself. He awoke under the same purple sky. This time, he felt the soft blades of grass at his fingertips. 

He emerged from the bedding of grass carefully assessing the surroundings. A loose inspection granted him relief when no threat of danger was imminent. He paused. Where was Sakura?

As he stood on a large hill overlooking heavenly green valleys as far as he could see, there was finally felt a sense of peace. 

Sasuke began his journey through the spirit realm. In the distance was a dense forest. The budding flowers in the grass displayed a beautiful brilliance of the colours he knew but yet, an added ethereal quality graced them. The air smelled sweet and fresh like a pie cooled upon a window sill on a warm summer day.

There was a river nestled within the dip of a valley. Sasuke went to get a drink of water surprised by the sensation of thirst. He dipped his cupped hands into the river and drank.

In awe of the return of his left arm, Sasuke quickly took to the reflection of his eyes. Both were black. He could almost collapse at the sight of it. 

In the distance, a flock of birds took off from their home of trees in a nearby forest. Sasuke scanned his surroundings when he noticed someone emerging. It was an old man carrying a basket filled with mushrooms and flowers.

“Hello there!” He called to Sasuke, “Could you help this old man? It seems I had taken more than I could carry!” 

Sasuke took the time to study the man who appeared as living and breathing as he had been a while ago. Sasuke took the basket from him. The old man appeared winded, taking a break at the riverside as Sasuke had just done.

“Let me tell ya, the chores follow you even after death!” He lets out a throaty laugh. “I haven’t seen you around these parts, young man. When did you _arrive_?”

“...Today.”

“My condolences… Well, people sometimes get lost upon these parts. I’ll introduce you to the villagers if you’d be so kind enough to help me carry my belongings back to the village.”

The old man’s village was like a lot of the villages he had visited in his travels. In fact, there was a resemblance to his very own Konoha; as if it was dreamed up all over again.

The smells of ramen and barbecue pork pressed his stomach into a growl. But the anticipation in his fingertips remained as the frontal emotion.

“It’s predominantly a village of those with Uchiha blood. Though, some had settled here after death making this place a home for themselves as well.”

The villagers hurried about as they would. Some were managing a storefront, restaurant owners were pressing pancakes onto hot surfaces, children were scurrying about. It was a sight for him. However, the people of this village had something he had: the same black hair and black eyes. Though, the old man had white hair, aging was a natural occurrence for anybody.

“When did you say you passed again?” The edges of this man’s eyes narrowed at their corners. It was an expression of suspicion.

Sasuke knew better than to hide behind a lie. “Today.”

“You’re an Uchiha. I thought we all had… Well, no matter. Go take a look around and let me know if I can be of any assistance.” The old man turned to leave before stopping at the door of his herbal shop, “I’d check out the property up on the hill… They’d be happy to see you.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened upon hearing this information. He nodded tersely as the old man disappeared behind a set of doors.

* * *

Sakura didn’t know where she was. Her instincts kicked into full gear the moment she had awoken. She dried herself under a hot afternoon sun. Lavender skies remained. She placed that everything about the living world was strikingly similar in the spirit world except for that sky. 

She travelled on foot for a little while. Eventually she reached the world’s edge, overlooking the the cliff. A thick silver fog licked against the stoney wall. Sakura was careful not to lose her footing. The soft lavender sky darkened as it stretched further and further toward the beyond. In the distance, tiny golden stars twinkled.

Sakura turned around. Sasuke was not here.

She began to feel a pang of homesickness. It caught her at her throat. She suppressed the sensation through a deep breath, refocusing her energy at her heart. It would lead her to him.

There was a cave a little ways away from the edge of the world. She took refuge there when the silver fog rose to the sky and began to rain over the grassy scape.

She could hear little whispers echoing around her. 

_“...The dead are always trying to speak to us. Those spirits are so ancient, they are reduced to voices… And often found at the edges of eternal consciousness.”_

“I must really be at the end of the world...” Sakura whispered to herself, remembering the shopkeeper's words. She could feel her skin grow rough and shivered trying to wrap her head around where she was.

She inspected the walls which seemed to immortalize ancient human beings in stone. She could see their likeness forever engraved. Hundred of thousands of remnants. They stretched on forever. 

"...Such a sweet voice."

Sakura whipped around. "Who's there?"

"You're not dead. What are you doing here? In this world even?" His voice was strong yet gentle, but reminiscent of a voice she had heard in so many of her dreams.

Half his body was in stone but his upper half remained human. Regardless, he was beautifully carved.

The torches on the walls suddenly lit up in orange flames. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Itachi…"


	3. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Different experiences.

“...You’re Sasuke’s brother!”

Itachi’s eyes went wide after hearing that name. “How did you get here?”

Sakura paused. “I promised him I’d take him to see his family. I believe we both were able to pass over... I did everything that I was supposed to. Right down to the breath.”

“...I see.”

It felt like she had seen him before. His grey, long hair framed his handsome face, with lines cutting into his cheeks. That face was so remnant of Sasuke, except the difference of maturity. Itachi’s presence was much larger and grander than Sasuke’s. His gravity was like nothing she had ever felt.

“What happened to you?”

“If you know my little brother then you are well aware of what I’ve done. I do not deserve to rest peacefully with my village. So I’ve decided to become one with the universe once and for all.”

“But… Sasuke would want to see you again... If I could somehow get you out of here--

“It’s impossible. When I made that decision many many years ago, not only did I surrender my body, I surrendered my soul as well. There is no other way."

Sakura started crying then.

If it was one thing that Sakura knew, it was the love that Itachi and Sasuke had for each other. She never had a sibling herself but she could imagine how complicated a bond like this could be, seeing first hand the road of destruction it led Sasuke down.

Sakura peered from the opening of the cave; the lavender skies slowly deepened into crisp indigo. As bright little stars started to emerge, Sakura hardened her resolve.

"You need to forgive yourself, Itachi."

"...I'm beyond saving."

"You know, there was once a time when Sasuke himself was submerged by his own darkness. He bled and drowned in his own misery. Forgiveness and gratitude were the only things that could save him... If there is nothing left for you Itachi, before you give yourself back to the universe, please help me with one more thing… If not for you, then for Sasuke, and if not for Sasuke then me, because I've travelled beyond the world of the living for this one chance."

"You love my brother, don't you?"

"More than I can put into words."

* * *

Koi fish swam around in crystal blue waters. Sasuke stopped to look at them. Now that he was in a village--a familiar one at that--he had an itch. An inkling, a feeling, a stitch in his side. He froze. Would his mother and father be here… Somewhere?

Is Itachi here?

He would check out the old man’s lead and if nothing would come out of it, he’d venture off to find Sakura.

A dusty red ball came rolling by, leaving a trail of dust behind it. Sasuke knelt down beside it and picked it up with his palm. 

“Haku! Mama said not to kick the ball so hard!”

A little girl, about six years old, came running after the ball. She was bright and joyous; a grin that stretched so far across her little face, Sasuke could see clearly the gaps in her teeth.

“Thank you, mister!” She spun around and ran away. 

Sasuke remained in the same position. Outstretched fingers, one knee pressed into the dirt as he kneeled. The little girl’s hand had briefly brushed against his as she retrieved that ball. The sensation lingered.

“Hey! You--You can’t be.”

Haku’s mother stood before her little girl and Haku. 

“Have you… have you passed on?”

Sasuke was stunned for a moment. His graces left him. “I, uh…”

“No, no, of course you had, or else you wouldn’t be here. I can’t believe it,” Haku’s mom says, “The last of us… Have you seen Mikoto? Has she seen you, yet?”

_ Mikoto… _

“Where is my mother?”

He hadn’t tried to sound so demanding. In fact, he had regretted the way it left his mouth. 

“Mikoto... she’s up at the house! Follow the path lined with kumquat trees!”

Sasuke nodded. 

In his peripherals, orange specks flew by. He hadn’t had time to think or react as the ripe kumquats squished beneath his sandals. Cherry blossoms rained around him, showering him in a soft and sweet scent.

Would this be true? Honestly and fully? Would he be able to see the mother that raised him, the mother with her life cut down short?

The woman in his head never came to picture without a sensation of warmth. He could feel the way she used to hug him. He could even smell her.

He arrived at a gate. It stood towering over him. 

His one last barrier.

It was made of solid wood with precise trimmings and the Uchiha emblem was carefully carved into the gates.

He decided. It was time. 

He pressed his palms against the door and stepped through. His ears burned as the familiar lawnscape looked astonishingly similar to the one they had growing up.

Paper doors stood between him and the tentative inhabitants. What should he do? Knock? Walk right in? Declare:  _ "Mom, I'm home!"? _

He rubbed the back of his neck when a voice reached his ears.

"Sasuke…?" Mikoto dropped the basket of vegetables to the ground. Tomatoes rolled to Sasuke's feet.

He inched around, craning his neck toward his mother. His body wouldn't move the way he wanted it to.

She ran to him, arms wide open and captured him in an embrace that he had been missing since he was a child.

"...Is it really you? I've been waiting… praying…"

It felt as if every void had been filled. Her love was so intense and immediate, he realized he had  _ always _ had her. Living or not, she was his mother. There was love for him. There would always be love for him.

He would be indebted to Sakura  _ forever. _

A single tear left his eye. And then another one. And soon after, he felt like her baby again as she patted his hair and he cried in her arms.

The last Uchiha would be a sight for the village. Haku's mother unintentionally drew in a crowd. Other villagers surrounded the gate watching the scene in front of them to witness this reunion.

"Are you real…? Is this real?" Sasuke asked.

His mother nodded smiling up at him.

"You've grown so big…"

"What about father? Where is he?"

Mikoto tightened her grip on Sasuke's hands. "He… He went to look for Itachi… We don't know where he is.”

* * *

There was no time. It all simply was and always will  _ be.  _ Sakura fought with the notion that life after life remained as a collective dream of all the inhabitants. Their energies and creatives were this world. A manifestation.

She needed to find a way to detach Itachi from the Eternal Wall.

If she was correct, she would have to find a way to give Itachi back some energy as he had surrendered himself back to the universe. Sakura looked to the stars when suddenly a pulsing started in her back pouch.

She withdrew the stone. It glowed an eerie white like the very moon outside of the cave.

“...Maybe if I can somehow share this stone’s energy with you it could release you.”

Itachi looked on skeptically.

She clasped her hands together in prayer with the stone between her palms. She would try to connect with Itachi on an energetic level.

"What is your name?" He asked.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched when her mediation broke. She opened her eyes. "I'm Sakura. I was assigned the same unit as your brother at the very beginning. He's… a good friend of mine… I guess."

Itachi frowned. "I see."

"It's complicated."

"It always is... Are you sure you want to rescue me?"

Sakura nodded. She could pinpoint a certain bemused expression on his face. 

“What?” She questioned, “What is it?”

He stifled a laugh. “If you succeed in releasing me from this wall, you may take me to see my little brother.”

“Alright then,” Sakura hardened her fist. “Let’s do it.”

Itachi's face went solemn as she scanned her surroundings. He knew it was impossible.

The flames along the wall continued to ignite deeper into the tunnel. Her green eyes ablaze, she nodded to Itachi in confirmation and made her way through.

The spirits continued to whisper into her ears.  _ Giggling, taunting, singing…  _

Sakura grew very cold. She grabbed her arms, pulling her cape around her closer, tighter. A constant wind beckoned her. There was no turning back.

Faces in the walls looked on at her, and for some, their eyeballs moved to see her. Their voices were like little breaths in her ears, behind her, before her eyes--She’d blink to rid herself of them.

_ “Sakura…”  _ They cooed.

But her nerves were spun steel. She knew she had to persevere. Sasuke was out there somewhere. Perhaps he had been able to see his parents by now. His dreams, his wish, his focus and direction led them to the Uchiha. Sakura had somehow been able to find herself the lost one. Sakura’s inner compass led her to Itachi. 

How beautiful the scenes were. So many faces were in the walls. Their clothing showed a style so renaissance, so ancient, Sakura felt as if she could have been in a museum.

_ “...You need the book!” _

_ “Set him free…!” _

_ “The book! ...Find it!” _

At this point, the torches on the wall began to stretch farther from each other. The light dimmed with every step. She took the last one from the wall and held it before her as she crept down the winding steps. It was frigid.

She could see nothing. Only darkness. With her finger tips grazing the stony wall as she proceeded, she realized there were no more faces to be seen. No more voices.  _ Nothing. _

Behind her was nothing. Before her was nothing.

Her breath was stuck in her throat.

_ Breathe…  _ Sakura commanded herself.

Then suddenly, a crushing force took her from the inside. Crushing loneliness, confusion, anger and doubt.  _ What’s going on?!  _ Sakura clutched her chest. The tears came dripping off her face.

_ This was a mistake! _

_ I shouldn’t have done this! _

_ What am I doing here? _

Sakura screamed.

Itachi heard it.

He knew she was in hell.   
  
  



	4. The Book

Sakura wiped mud and blood from her forehead and pushed herself from the ground. The words of her sensei reverberated in her ears as another onset of explosions took place. A kunai here, another shuriken there. 

Dizzy from being indirectly struck, Sakura had trouble regaining her composure. Her knees wobbled. 

“Sakura! Let’s go!” Naruto yelled.

_I can’t… I can’t move…_

“...No Sasuke! I can’t just leave her!” Naruto yelled back at him.

There it was again. 

_“You're useless… Annoying…”_

_No._

_NO._

_Not again._

All that was forgotten. For now, there would be pain. It was the tenth vision of misery so far.

 _“You can never be fully prepared for anything. You just have to be prepared to bounce back.”_ Kakashi’s voice echoed around her.

Sakura let out another scream. The vision of their battle drifted away leaving her to remain in the cold abyss, clutching the dirt on the ground. 

Her greatest fear had come to fruition so many times. The weakest link, the odd one out, the one who needed them--the one who cried.

She struck the ground with a powerful fist and the ground shattered all around her, leaving her to fall through with the rubble. She fell into a pool of liquid light. It was blinding but not at all suffocating. 

All she could see was pink as her hair rippled out. Was it the stardust that made everything so glittery?

The light dimmed to an iridescent shimmer as dark backgrounds took place again. All too soon, Sakura’s eyes had to adjust to darkness once more.

“Shit…” Sakura swore. She proceeded to walk around trying to gather a feel for the area. Only darkness ensued. As she paced, a spotlight followed her. She raised her hands in front of her trying to skim her fingers against a wall, hoping to find some structure and direction.

Instead, she stumbled over feet, frustration strewn about her features. She swore again.

“Where am I?!” 

_I need to get out of here… Wherever here is…_

Suddenly she remembered the little voices: “ _Find the book.”_ They said.

But to find nothing in darkness… It seemed impossible. Her analytic brain deduced the fact.

As with all budding ideas, it started as a little itch. The possibility of finding something from nothing. She rubbed her neck tiredly. 

_I need to find a book. I can’t see anything, I don’t smell, taste, or feel anything, I also don’t know anything…_

Sakura racked her brain. _What am I supposed to do now? Sasuke is somewhere in the spirit world, Itachi had succumbed to his pain and reduced himself into a wall…_ Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. _What a mess I’ve put myself in._

 _Well… If there’s nothing to do, nothing I_ can _do, then I’m going to have a seat right here._

In the midst of darkness, Sakura forgot she came armed with her own stubbornness. Her knees buckled beneath her. This strange spotlight remained to rest on her; there was no telling where it was coming from because when she lifted her gaze, she’d be blinded by the intense light. 

She sat there on the dusty floor for a considerable amount of time. Soon, her thoughts turned to breaths, and then, meditation.

As her thoughts passed by her, she remained still. _Everything is and will always be. Forever and always._

Visions flew by and she knew not to reach for them. 

_I need to find this book._ Using it as a pinnacle of her focus, Sakura focused all her might on the idea. _If it doesn’t exist for me now, I will manifest it. I’ve come this far, here goes nothing…_

She clutched the stone even harder. 

There was tension. Every second of meditation dragged on. _What_ kind _of book? How do I know what to look for?_

Slowly her wall of stubbornness fizzled out into exhaustion. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh and tried again. Only Sasuke’s face met her this time. It was all she could think about right now.

Black and purple eyes bored into her. Flicks of black strands swayed in the wind. In this vision, he wept. Sakura felt another pang in her chest. She remembered the way he pained as he told her stories of his losses. 

Suddenly, a world started to materialize around her. Blooming flowers in deep indigo, purple, pink and yellow opened up its petals. Their bouquets were sweet and perfume-like. In front of her, a cobblestone path unrolled itself. It stretched forward into a new world all of its own.

She stepped into this scenery as if going through a painting.

* * *

Sasuke went to the river that night. Perplexed by this situation, he fought with himself to chase after his father or remain with his mother. This new reality stunned him. He had been an orphan for the entirety of his young life and suddenly, the shocking realization that he had a mother shook him to his core.

He cried tears of joy and confusion by the river. The sun had set an hour ago leaving beneath a silver moon with a glow so eerily bright.

He hoped Sakura was okay and dare he admit it, he missed her. Their brief few weeks together ignited a feeling of companionship he hadn’t felt since Team Seven and Team Taka.

Mostly the fact that he had been starved of any meaningful connection since those times.

Sasuke lowered himself by the grassy edge of the water and watched the moon's reflection ripple.

_Where are you, Sakura?_

"Sasuke?"

His mother tread carefully down the hill. She pulled her navy skirt to her lap when she sat next to him.

"Mother, I thought you were getting ready for bed?"

"...Tell me again how you came here... to the spirit realm."

This took Sasuke aback. Truthfully, talking about it to his mother felt taboo; as if he had knowingly done something his mother would not approve off. This foreign feeling…

"My ...friend Sakura was able to have us cross over. She used a stone and a location at Lotus Mountain a long way from Konoha to get us here."

“That’s a pretty name… Perhaps a pretty face too?” His mother nudged him. He forgot she could be playful. Sasuke felt his face grow warm. He didn’t have any interest in divulging his feelings to his mother, further, his _romantic_ feelings.

"I'm happy you're not dead. You still have so much of your life to live and to enjoy."

His habitual snort left him. "...Enjoy? My life hadn't been enjoyable, mother. My life was… I mean, it is…"

Mikoto frowned. "I'm so sorry. But you will endure as you've always had, and until you return back here to me with grey hair and wrinkles like your father."

Sasuke stifled a laugh. “Father has wrinkles?”

“His wrinkles started early. Hopefully it won’t catch up with you.”

Sasuke and his mother talked for hours into the night. The bed she had made for him remained untouched. 

“My boy…” Mikoto sang. “We’ll all be a family soon.”

* * *

The dew was extra sparkly on the petals in the valley. Sakura escaped the awful dark abyss and followed the path down toward the mountains. She wasn’t sure exactly where she was but it beat being back there by a long kilometer.

Pastel landscapes continued to grace her. _I’m guessing this is heaven now?_

She brushed her hands along the blades of grass, stopping momentarily to pull some water to her lips from a nearby brook. She knew that whatever she was looking for was at the peak of the mountain. The yellow ribbon of her path weaved through the valley and wrapped around the mountain, all the way up to the peak.

Her calves ached the same way they did when she and Sasuke climbed Lotus Mountain. Sakura had her fair share of mountain climbing. Little did she know, her path to the top would be thwarted by a small accident. She slipped on a wet leaf on her way up and fell to the ground before catching herself on her arms. Sasuke would definitely have commented on her little hiccup if he had been there. However Sakura quickly brushed herself off, not knowing a drop of her blood had fallen into a small stream at the wayside.

When she reached the top of the mountain peak, a beautiful and most brilliant chest awaited her with the shiniest gold trimming and it’s key located next to it. She gently kneeled to meet it and stuck the key in.

Inside, a chalice and a book awaited her. The little voices suddenly returned. She could hear them whispering in high pitched voices: _“She did it! She found the book!”_

A roaring waterfall continued to fall from the heavens. Despite being at the mountain’s peak, Sakura tried to crane her neck to attempt to see the opening of which the falls began. Soft and luscious clouds blocked her view of the waterfall’s origin, but around her, the water fell against all the levels of rock to the stream below

The beautiful leather cover entranced Sakura. It was a perfect match with the chest. When she opened the cover, divine images engulfed her.

It might as well have begun with ' _once upon a time'_ because the lovely tale that followed seemed completely like a fairy tale.

**_The Book_ **

_...It is the first book about humanity, whose origins began as a single breath of air, a drop of water, as well as a simple drop of blood. As the dirt and dust assembled on top of these droplets,_

_A tiny world began to emerge..._

But then, the book spoke:

_“What is it you’re looking for, child?”_

Sakura was stunned for a moment.

“I’m looking for a way to free a friend from the Eternal Cave. He is now half rock and half human, but his regrets will never let him peacefully rest.”

_“I see. Thank you for your sacrifice and struggle. It must have been a long way here.”_

Sakura nodded stiffly. 

_“We have accepted your blood as a transaction. He is now freed.”_

“My blood?” She looked down at her knee and saw the cut.

_“Please take this chalice and have a drink from the Eternal Waterfall. You must be thirsty.”_

Sakura did as instructed and then feeling refreshed, she lost consciousness and fell to the ground. 


	5. Awakenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She hums to life.

Sasuke didn't realize he could dream while his soul was in the otherworld. He felt light, and dizzy but… real.

He hadn’t dissipated from this world as he feared he would. But when he went to bed the night before, he quickly succumbed to sleep. The dinner he’d had with his mother tasted as vibrant and flavourful as real  _ life  _ food. He felt full after. Satiated. Curious. 

Now, worried this morning, his dream of Sakura caused him to jolt out of his bedding like a student late for school. Surprisingly, he had sunk into a comfortable demeanor in the proximity of his mother and remained irritated at himself as he stepped into the garden. 

Sliding doors were left open. Again, lavender skies remained the prime colour in the sky, but rays from a golden sun and a crisp summer breeze poured into him. He hadn’t felt peace like this in a long while.

“Sasuke? Are you up?”

_ “Mother.” _

Seeing her standing there on the wooden wrap-around veranda reminded him of his biggest blessing to date. He stared at her with bewilderment. As if he’d seen… a ghost.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to find Sakura. I think she’s in trouble.”

“Oh, dear.” Mikoto stepped down to the grass, but not without placing her feet in her sandals and gliding by the dew dropped petals in her garden. "I should come. Perhaps along the way, we can find your father as well."

"Do you know anything about this world? Is there something I should watch out for?"

Mikoto's eyes drifted to her garden in thought. "Even though we're spirits, we're, at the end of it all, energy. I heard of the Eternal Cave and the Eternal Waterfall. It gives us the energy to live on, otherwise we dissipate and become one with the universe again."

"I see… So you can still disappear."

Mikoto looked up at her son. "Seeing you again has been the biggest gift. No matter what, I will always love you. Never forget that."

She pressed her palm to Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke basked in her warmth before turning to face the challenge before him.

Then, Haku’s mother came running up the Uchiha gate that was left ajar. 

“Mikoto!” She yelled, “Fugaku! He’s back!”

Sasuke’s eyes widened. 

They flew through the Uchiha gate and down the hill. As the small path lined with kumquat trees stretched out into the village strip, a crowd of people had met at the town square.

These villagers were temporarily catapulted from their day to day doings. Burned meat hung in the air as a merchant scrambled back to his stall to extinguish it. Upon the horizon, sat faraway hills overlapping each other in the distance. He must have traveled a long way considering the large patches of forest in-between.

Mikoto grabbed her son’s arm. Before seeing her husband, she braced herself.

“Could he be hurt?” Sasuke asked her.

In real life, it was a valid question. In the spirit world, Sasuke wondered at what extent hurt became on the villagers as they were already dead. How much of the same tendencies manifested in this world as they naturally occurred in life?

“...He could be fading…”

“Fading?” Sasuke echoed.

“Hurry Mikoto!”

The villagers surrounded his father but then stepped back at the sight of a new young man accompanying Mikoto.

_ “It can’t be…”  _ Someone whispered.

_ “Is that... Who I think it is?” _

_ “He’s finally come…” _

Fugaku was on his knees breathing roughly through strained inhales. The grooves in the dirt signified he had been struggling moments before. But then, before Fugaku could see his son, he collapsed to the ground.

“We need to find the healer or another of us will fade!” Somebody else cried.

Sasuke skidded to a stop. Fugaku’s body was flickering like a hologram. Little specks of light were leaving his body as the seconds went on just like the sparks of a hand-held firework.

And then, the old man from his herbal shop returned with a flask. “I have a little more than a drop of the water left. This should be enough to sustain him.”

Mikoto pulled Fugaku’s pale lips apart as the old man administered a drop and a half on his tongue.

Then, he became opaque once again.

“What was that? What happened?” 

Mikoto looked at her son. “Your father must have gone too close to the edge while looking for your brother.”

There was no sign of Itachi. It appeared that Fugaku had failed his mission. 

Mikoto guided the men carrying her husband back to their home. Sasuke followed reluctantly.

“Mother, I need to go. I need to know that Sakura is okay.”

Mikoto nodded. “When your father awakes, I will let him know that you’ve returned. Be safe and take care, Sasuke.”

Sasuke stood at the gate of his parent’s home. He would return soon with Sakura; he promised his mother. The locals helped move Fugaku onto a futon, passed the sliding door and went to retrieve some water and towels. 

As the sun went high, the balmy breeze picked up, catching sweet fragrances of jasmine and citrus. It was indeed a sort of dream world the Uchiha souls lived in. In one way, Sasuke was relieved at where his lineage had come to rest. It wasn’t the worst conclusion for them, but yet, if Itachi had returned, Sasuke wondered how the people would take to him.

He was the one who killed them after all.

Sasuke quickly washed up and went to see his father before leaving. He stared down to the man who raised him--though it was brief. Memories of his strong and shielded presence came back like a rush. Sasuke knew his father loved him but deep down inside, Sasuke yearned to feel it again. To confirm it.

"I am here… father. But I have to go."

* * *

Itachi was truly puzzled. Somehow during reliving his childhood memories and dreaming about a certain young lady, he had fallen asleep, destined to nothing but dreams and memories until the wall took him forever.

But then, when he awoke, a strange sensation of pins and needles crawled up his legs. 

Itachi pushed himself from the ground. An imprint of himself remained in the Eternal Wall. For the first time in his afterlife existence, he was in total shock.

She did it.

She released him.

Unbeknownst to him Sakura was sprawled several metres away from the opening of the Eternal Cave and at the edge of the world. 

Crisp deepening indigo ignited with golden stars, illuminating the distance like it was near. Silver clouds hung low in the sky. Distant planets orbited around in some sort of interstellar arrangement.

Itachi crawled out of the cave. While his legs were receiving sensation, his fingers clutched the stoney wall. He peered straight ahead to the edge of the Universe. But a flicker of pink took his attention immediately. He approached her curiously, albeit carefully. 

She was asleep.

When he dropped to his knee, she stirred suddenly as jade green eyes glowed with renewed life. 

"You did it," Itachi said.

She groaned uncomfortably. "...I guess I did."

He helped her up. His own knees were ready to buckle.

"Do you need to rest?" 

Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't want to use up anymore time. Sasuke is probably looking for me."

"I see."

"Can you walk?" Sakura's medical eye made note of his weakened gait.

"I'm not quite so sure."

Sakura raised both palms and placed them against Itachi's shins but the usual green minty glow never occurred. “I guess I can’t do that here.”

“You’re a medic?”

Sakura nodded. “I trained under Tsunade. She taught me everything I know.”

“You must be very skilled then.” 

Sakura blushed suddenly, remembering who he was the brother of. Already, he seemed way more charming than his brother counterpart, but there was a sort of calming essence that came with him naturally.

Sakura could feel who Itachi was. She didn't need to hear any more stories of what he'd done and what he should have done. He'd suffered enough. The clan would have suffered--regardless if Itachi had killed them or not. They were destined for bloodshed. Sakura felt  _ truly _ sorry.

She could feel the soft blades of grass between her fingers. A gust of wind rushed past Sakura and up into the stars. She was near the edge of the universe, casted in silver light by the abnormally large moon.

Itachi and Sakura then stood overlooking the edge. A mind-blowing reminder that they existed amidst the vast and never ending universe that stretched out in front of them. This was much more than a view of a lifetime.

They started on their journey back to the village. Itachi had an idea of where they were headed, but he told her to brace herself as the journey was long and winded.

Despite travelling together, there was a considerable amount of space between them. They hadn't talked about how abrupt it had been and about the chances of them finding each other--rather Sakura finding him. Sakura thought,  _ "Maybe when I was focusing my meditation on finding the Uchiha, I must have been transported to him. Does that mean Sasuke made it his clan?" _

Now that she thought about it, her intention of meditating on finding the Uchiha was based on finding his parents, of course, but the weight of her wish brought her to the most important Uchiha key player. Sasuke had filled her in about his brother on their travels together. So naturally when she came to think of the Uchiha, he was the one that manifested. 

But who knew what really happened and... how.

Beyond her wildest dreams, even exceeding the bounds of her imagination, she was travelling back  _ with _ Itachi to find Sasuke and the Uchihas  _ in _ the spirit world.

"...We'll know we're close once we reach the grand river. It's the same river that flows through the village--Sakura? Are you listening?"

Her lips curved up into an awkward smile. The last thing that she wanted to seem was disrespectful, but this whole ordeal began shifting its weight on her as the shock of it wore off.

"I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Naturally,” Itachi sided. He paused whilst turning back to Sakura. “You’re really…”

Bright green eyes peered to him waiting for him to finish. Suddenly his eyes went into crescents. 

“...determined as hell. You remind me of Sasuke.”

Sakura’s heart leapt.

“Thank you... I guess.”

“Has my brother been good to you?”

Sakura bit her lip. “I hope not to steer you the wrong way. We’re not a couple by any means, I--

“I see.” Itachi concluded. “My little brother is complicated. I apologize if he hurt you in any way.”

Sakura’s heart fell to her stomach once again.  _ Complicated  _ was an understatement.

“We’re fine… We’ll be okay.”

Itachi nodded although not quite convinced.

They entered a new landscape. Lush green grass and balmy winds remained outside the forest. A new tropical heat pricked Sakura’s skin into a sweat. Large leaves decorated the rainforest’s ceiling. Bits of sun trickled in like tiny beams. Now that the night was turning to day, she became more anxious, wanting so badly to finally get Itachi to Sasuke.

But then, Sakura’s consciousness began to wane and wax like the push and pull of water on a shore. 

“I must be getting pretty tired…” Sakura admitted shyly. “We’ve been walking through the night and I…”

“Let’s find somewhere to rest. I think I hear water in this direction.”

Sleep itched behind Sakura’s eyelids. A gentle and hot mist lured Sakura deeper into the jungle. Itachi was right; water manifested as a large pool of water complete with a skinny waterfall falling from a high cliff wall. Above the water’s rippling surface, a warm thick mist drifted off, floating toward the sky. Large leafs with cutouts reminding Sakura of swiss cheese provided Sakura and Itachi with privacy. 

Sakura’s skin grew rough with goosebumps anticipating the thrill of comfort, as if expecting to immerse herself into a hot bath. Her back arched, her neck stiff, tired and restless muscles pleaded to be kneaded.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Sakura questioned. Her eyes signaled to the pool of crystal green water. 

“Perhaps… It’s clear enough, except for this mist. I don’t see anything in the water.”

“That works for me!” Sakura quipped.

Itachi lowered himself into the water first. Though Sakura averted her eyes to the shirtless Uchiha, she craved a wash and proceeded to find privacy behind the falling water and some leafy shrubs. Stripping down to her crop top and spandex shorts, Sakura tested the water with her toes. Warm and refreshing. Sakura submerged herself underwater. 

When she broke the surface, Sakura meditated on quickly regaining her strength. Eyes closed, goal in view, she didn't see the water start to glow all around her.

Itachi also didn't notice at first either but when he cracked an eye open, the now healing water brought instant relief to his aching legs and brought to life the greenery around them. More lush, more life. Heart shaped leaves on vines stretched along the lip of the spring. Tall blades of grass reached higher and higher. Itachi’s eyes widened.

"Sakura… You're the healer they've been looking for."


End file.
